Chance Encounter
by GrandGrammaryeDisappearingAct
Summary: Haymitch is looking for Valentine's Day cards and is interrupted by some annoying, hopeless romantic in the greeting card section of his neighborhood grocery store. What is this woman's problem? And why the hell does he keep running into her, after the first encounter? Sooner or later, Haymitch must realize that the woman isn't the only one who is hopeless. Hayffie AU


1.

 _"_ _Are you looking for a specific card?"_

Haymitch turned around, not really looking the young shop attendant in the eyes. The girl pushed some brown hair out of sea-like eyes and nodded quietly, moving on down the aisle to maybe help another person.

"Nah, just lookin," he said bluntly. The girls nodded silently and watched her begin to slowly walk away but her shoes stopped in their tracks. Her teeth were as bright as two rows of white fluorescent lights. "Are you sure? Valentine's Day is tomorrow and my boyfriend say that, um, lots of people start to get a little bit desperate when they don't have dates." Haymitch's lips parted to give a short and sweet explanation but then, the poor girl turned pink.

"Oh, I-I didn't mean… I mean I-I'm sure you have a date you're an attractive man but I- No. I…" The started to take deep breathes at that moment which caused Haymitch to turn around.

"Jeez, kid, calm down. It's fine, the cards are for family; chill out." Whoever this poor girl's boyfriend was, Haymitch hoped he was a good one. This girl seemed completely stressed out. Haymitch watched as she took a couple of long deep breaths and she was completely fine.

A smile creased her face, as if her freak out over her assumption had never happened and she gestured her nametag. "I'm Annie. I'm restocking shelves on the next aisle so, um, d-don't hesitate to ask me if you have any problems finding anything!"

"Yeah, I'll do that. And for the record, you have a few them desperate people in here now. T

She was looking up and down the aisle at the mostly pink, white, or red cards; taking one, reading it, and replacing for and exchange it for another. Haymitch stared for a few split seconds in a state of satirical annoyance.

" _What a sap_ ," He thought, slightly shaking his head of shaggy dark, hair. He picked up a card on the cheesy 'humor' shelf and opened the yellowish it up, rolling his eyes. It had to be one of the worst ones. " _Bee mine_ " was written on the inside with a red cursive font and a school of bees flying around on both the inside flaps with an abundance of red hearts scattered across the space. Haymitch rolled his lead grey eyes and put it back on the shelf.

Really, the only people he really needed cards for were Iris and Hazelle and two more for each of their families. More that that, he needed mostly blank cards he could write sarcastic comments on the insides of.

Not wanting to look at any more cards, he settled for few plain ones with pink and red hearts on the front. When Haymitch moved the bunch of cards forward to get some of the light pink envelopes behind them, there was only one left. Fritting his teeth, he immediately went to look for more envelopes only to find there was only ones that were brown or an ugly shade of eggshell white.

 _"_ _What kinda greeting card section doesn't keep a stock of envelopes that match the cards?"_ He thought. Not that he really cared. Not that the kids would care either. It was really their mothers that cared about that sort of stuff.

Hesitantly, he went for some off-pink envelopes behind a group of cards next to the ones he chose but paused when he heard someone clucking their tongue at him chidingly, like a mother would her rowdy children. Haymitch rolled his eyes before turning his head, shaggy dark hair moving into his face.

"Need something, Sweetheart?" he remarked flippantly.

The woman crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "She'll most likely want the envelopes to match. And maybe use _different_ cards, hm?"

Haymitch snorted. "They aren't going to the same person." He stood up straighter and rolled his eyes. "And no one cares if the envelope matches the card."

She rolled her eyes and in one short move, she grabbed a stack of red envelopes behind some other cards from the shelf near her.

"Take it from a woman, if they match, your odds of getting into bed with her will be much better. You may want to get some chocolate, too," She said, turned back to the shelf she had been looking at, She didn't see Haymitch almost openly gag. "Gross," he muttered.

"Hm? You don't swing that way?" She said, with a laugh.

What was _with_ this woman? "Not that," Haymitch said, fully turning to her. "These are cards for friends and their kids, not that it's any of your business, Sweetheart."

He noticed her roll her eyes at his remark, though she was still taking cards, reading them, and putting them back. "What? Can't decide what card to get your boyfriend?" He questioned, satirically.

The woman didn't look back at him. She twirled a wisp of her honey colored blonde hair on a manicured index finger. "Don't have one," she hummed, picking up a different card.

Haymitch raised an eyebrow, and small smirk cutting the side of his face. "Then why are ya lookin' so hard for a card?" How strange. Like he had thought earlier, she must just be a complete sap.

She only shrugged in response though, reading the one in her hand and putting it back as she'd done all the others. She finally turned her whole body to him, a sad look in her eyes.

"Just feeling sorry for myself, I suppose? My boyfriend broke up with me last week, _if_ you must know," She said, a spiteful half smile touching her lips even though her eyes showed no hint of humor.

Haymitch was slightly taken aback. He raised an eyebrow, his forehead buckling up. "Really? He dumped you a week before Valentine's Day? That _really_ sucks."

What was more surprised to Haymitch was how OK she seemed about it. Most women would be distraught at being dumped days before Valentine's ay but this chick? She seemed just fine, She just shrugged and turned back to the wall of cards. She tilted her head a little, picking up another card. "He just wasn't the one, I suppose."

 _The one._ Right. It always had to come back to _that_ ,

Haymitch tried to shake it off and decided to fill the void again. "I guess that's a good way of looking at it. If you believe that stuff." He shoved the hand that wasn't holding Iris's and Hazelle's families' cards into his coat pocket.

"Why do you say that?" The blonde said, genuinely smiling at him. "Do you not believe there's someone out there for everyone?"

He shrugged, trying to look anywhere, but where this girl stood. "Oh no, I believe it. But I also believe that there's a very small window of opportunity to get the timing right and if you don't," he shrugged. "You don't get that change ever again."

For a moment, she looked either intrigued or unnerved, however it quickly passed as she realized he was alluding to in so many words. "I see. I'm sorry," she said genuinely.

Haymitch waved her off, rolling his eyes. He _hated_ that look that made him feel like he should be feeling such anguish when really he was _fine_. It had been a few _years_ since Anna died. _Years_. Haymitch was so sick of even _Hazelle and Iris_ looking at him like that, though they knew what he went through. It was easier for Haymitch to accept _their_ pity.

"Nah, it's been a while. These are for a couple of my friends' families." He averted his eyes and looked at a couple more cards without really looking at them.

The woman seemed to be weighing his answer for how real it was.

"So, no significant other either? What a pair we are," she joked. Haymitch bit his tongue to avoid saying something that would most defiantly piss this woman off. Upon actually looking at her, he noticed she was kind of pretty attractive; long legs that seemed to go for miles for miles, not a bad chest, her blonde hair was curly and glossy… She didn't look bad in her sweater mini-dress and fuzzy boots, either. He closed his eyes and chuckled to himself.

Yeah, right. Her voice was annoying.

In the end, he found himself just shaking his head. "Listen lady, I'll have you know, I'm _very_ happy with being single, so…."

Her eyes sparkled inn raw amusement. "Really?" She placed her delicate looking hands on her hips. "Why have you taken ten minutes to look for cards, then?" The way her voice seemed to raise in pitch at the close of her inquiry caught Haymitch off guard. Why was she so interested? Why should _she_ care? Haymitch shook it off quickly and recomposed himself before she could notice, catching himself before he could give any sign of annoyance.

"They're for close friends and their kids," he rebutted, looking her back in the face. "Again, it's not really your business, Sweetheart."

The woman shrugged. "Not really like I have anything better to listen too. I'm alone this Valentine's Day."

Haymitch rolled his eyes. Her? Alone? She looked like she could literally have anyone she damn wanted! _Please_. Hair fell into his face as he glanced back up again- Hazelle had been telling him to cut it for weeks now. "You'd rather talk to a stranger in a grocery store in the gift card section than go to a bar? Seriously?" Like he thought. She was probably crazy.

She smirked ironically- though it didn't quite reach her eyes- and her red lips pursed back at him as if she were proposing a challenge. "Not like _you_ seem to have anything better to do either. It isn't like you came in, grabbed a card, bought it, and left. You've been eyeing this wall of cards since I got here and _you're_ commenting on _me_ picking one or two up and reading them? _Seriously_?"

Taking the challenge, Haymitch plastered a wide smirk on his face and walked closer to her staring her up and down. "Maybe I looked at them because _I_ make fun of the poor saps that fall for all this shit every year. I know if I were in a relationship, I wouldn't give a _damn_ about getting any of this stuff from a girlfriend."

Face creasing as she gave him a perfect white smile, the woman gently pressed a manicured finger to his nose in a brief, teasing manner. "So you _are_ single," she said playfully. If Haymitch weren't aware of what he looked like right now, he'd almost think she was flirting with him.

Haymitch stepped backward, his back running into the side of the aisle and his coat brushing against some cards, making them flutter to the ground. He didn't know if it was the still heat air in the store, the fact that he was wearing his coat, or his longer uncut hair, but his neck had broken out into a sweat.

"Again, lady, what business is it of yours? You so desperate to get a date tonight, you try and get one from the first man y'see in a grocery store lookin' at Valentine cards? Seriously?"

The woman pursed her lips together again and rolled her eyes. "Oh you poor, poor man… I am _not_ trying to get a date from _you_. Don't be silly. I am only trying to make conversation while I am looking at cards. It is only polite," she laughed. "It also helps that you look as bored as I feel."

Haymitch rolled his eyes and grabbed the card she held loosely in her fingers in a blink of an eye. "Don't lie to me, Sweetheart. You are _not_ bored, you're _actively_ lookin' for valentines. Don't even _act_ like I _didn't_ just see you thumbin' through cards and reading them with googly eyes. You must have picked up- what, five cards in those few _seconds_? _And_ you just let it slip me you just got dumped. Sorta feels like you're _desperate_ to find a date, if you ask me."

His smirk widened into a grin, as he felt pretty uplifted with figuring this strange woman out. He nearly keeled over laughing when her cheeks turned red-hot and she grabbed the card right back in a huff. Her delicately painted pink lips pursed together in distaste and her brows narrowed.

"Lucky I didn't ask you, then!" she snapped, as if the word ' _desperate_ ' was a word considered taboo if said in public. Haymitch had nearly keeled over in laughter. Seeing this woman's emotional rampage in just the past few minutes was _hilarious_. He couldn't help snorting, in spite of her glares. However Valentine's Day turned out, it was just made a great one at this moment.

"Really, you're not? Tell me your alibi, then. _I'm_ looking for cards for technically family while _you're_ looking because you're," He paused, holding up two fingers to air quote. "...and I quote, ' _feeling a little sorry for yourself._ '"

She bit the inside of her cheek, looking away from him. "That does _not_ mean I am desperate."

Haymitch shrugged. "Whatever y'say, Sweetheart, I'm just telling you what I see. Besides, Sweetheart, isn't that what you said _you_ were doin' earlier?" She rolled her eyes in response.

"Please do _not_ call me _'sweetheart.' It_ is _so_ _unbelievably_ rude," she said, apparently tired from the conversation. Then, she whipped around and walked towards the door, having put all the cards down, or thrown them on the floor down at some point.

A weight had lifted just to have another put on. If Haymitch knew any better, he might say he'd pissed the woman off.

" _Whatever_ ," Haymitch thought. He swiftly chose three cards but then hesitated and put two back. Whoever that chick was, maybe she was right about the "buying separate cards" thing. With that, he put two of the Bee ones back and grabbed two other cards at random, two more envelopes, and went to te counter to pay for the cards.

When Haymitch got to the parking lot to unlock his car, he thanked the heavens he wasn't that woman's boyfriend. God that would fucking suck.

 **AN- Ok, I wrote this a little while ago when I was looking for fun prompts to work on to distract myself from my Comp I class, which, I agree isn't the best thing to do. BUT I really liked it and... I don't know, I can see something happen with it?**

 **Let me know what you think? Constructive criticism is great~**

 **Also, I posted this on my tumblr a long while ago lol**


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